Exposition puts Govt. planning to the test

THE 10-day exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic ended yesterday with thousands of devotees flocking to Kandy for the rare opportunity of paying homage to the sacred relic. While the exposition was welcomed by all, there are many lessons to be learnt from the poor management of the exposition process which drew criticism both from residents of the city as well as the devotees.

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It is understandable that when thousands flock to the ancient city, there will be congestion and chaos but what transpired during the past 10 days cannot be blamed on the public alone but authorities who were tasked with the arrangements including the Police, Government officials, Maligawa administrators, all should take part of the blame.

Prior to the start of the exposition, Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Hiniduma Sunil Senevi was among those who addressed the media along with Police representatives and members of the Maha Sanga to assure the public that all arrangements are in place for the convenience of the thousands expected to come for the exposition. They estimated that around two million devotees would take part in the religious activities and hence were well-aware they had a gigantic task at hand.